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With its EMEA headquarters in London, the Macquarie Group expanded it’s operations and found themselves fragmented in different buildings. The new Ropemaker Place building offered the opportunity to consolidate their various businesses and 1,200 employees into one connected community.
The typical segmentation that occurs in the stacking of multi-story office buildings presented an obstacle. In an effort to facilitate a clear and open connection between the corporate divisions, a new vertical opening in the form of an Atrium was carved out. Working between the existing structural steel bays, a six story organically shaped volume was created.
Planned along the logical path of travel between different functions, a new continuous red staircase became the banner of connectivity, and is emphasized through its engagement with a large communal amenities floor and a guest relations/conference floor. Meeting pods, kitchen break out areas and communal spaces embellish the sides of the Atrium, bringing transparency and user interaction to the heart of Macquarie.
The lowest two floors are devoted to Trading Rooms and their support functions, and form the base of the new organization, with client advisory businesses stacked above. Clients and visitors are directed to the top floor meeting areas and can interact with the businesses within the open Atrium volume.
Through revealing its operations in this dramatic way, Macquarie has confidently introduced a much-needed transparency into the financial services market. Several sustainable initiatives are achieved, including significant decreases in energy consumption, waste and lift usage, and net carbon footprint reduction, in line with the top rated BREAAM building.
The visible energy of people circulating and interacting in the transparent Atrium serves as the catalyst for drawing the different business units together and provides the synergy to collaborate with each other in new business ventures. The project was completed March 2011.